Shattered Images
by GravityWolf
Summary: This was the sixth nightmare in the same week. This one was by far the worst in his terms. "Norman Babcock of his Majesty's Province of Massachusetts, on this day you have been arraigned for the horrible crime of witchcraft..." Parapines Fanfiction
1. Chapter 1

_Notes: I am not dead obviously because suddenly here I am throwing Parapines Fanfiction everywhere - I am a hardcore shipper and I have loved this ship since forever. I wanted to write a Fic that is actually long and has a good plot so here you are – by the way it may be a slow start but I hope everyone enjoys it. I will try to be more frequent with updating this. No Beta so sorry for errors and such. Hope you enjoy!_

* * *

This was the sixth nightmare in the same week. This one was by far the worst in his terms.

_The room was dark, blackened around the edges so his view was restricted from anything but standing awkwardly, circled by unknown people that wore stern scowls. Dipper Pines took a few steps back, his heart dropping like a weight inside his chest. His throat dried with terror, he irrepressibly began shaking with fear as he stood before the sullen faces of the courtroom._

_"Norman Babcock of his Majesty's Province of Massachusetts, on this day you have been arraigned for the horrible crime of witchcraft..." The eldest man, who was obviously the Judge, had a lanky, wiry frame and unfriendly eyes that struck dread in the Twin's panicking mind. The atmosphere was dull and shadowed with a hint of anger._

_"I'm not-"_

_"Witnessed by those whose testimonies have been heard…" _

_"But, I'm-"_

_"You have, by this court, been found guilty..."_

_"No." The Pine's boy whispered, holding his hands out as if to protect himself from an invisible attack. The panel of people all stared blankly at him, their eyes dark with an unknown emotion. His heart drummed thunderously in his ears, near gagging on pain._

_"And it is passed on you, according to your grievous crimes," The Judge's gaze falls on him impassively, rising with resentment near the end of his rule, "...execution."_

_"No!" Dipper stilled and he felt the sudden lash of complete shock. The voice was not his – it was a voice that was quiet and terrified, layered with alarm and sorrow that made the brunette even more petrified. The voice was higher-pitched, like that of a child._

_The sound came from behind him that echoed throughout the chamber._

_He slowly spun on his heels to feel the world slip around him – it was just a boy, perhaps a year or two younger than him, with wide, pale blue eyes stricken with anguish as tears fell down his cheeks. His dark hair was spiked up in an unnatural manner that would require an ungodly amount of hair gel to compose._

_But Dipper noticed how horrified the boy was and his mind weaved the scenario together, watching in horror as the adolescent – his small hands shackled by rusty restraints – pleaded feebly. It was not him being executed or being sentenced, it was this kid._

_"Do you have anything to say for yourself?" It was as if the Judge was mocking him, his tone resembling that of a scolding mother's but with wrath and deep bitterness that a parent would never have against their own child._

_"I wasn't doing anything wrong! I was j-just playing!" The boy – Norman – cried, and Dipper took a small note of his unkempt hair and his once fine clothes tattered and smeared with dirt. It was a sad sight and twisted his heart into a knot._

_"Aye, with fire! You were speaking with the dead!" The Judge snarled, grinning wickedly as gasps and mummers faintly rising in the air. He extended one slender, waxen hand, gesturing to everyone in the room with a victorious smirk. "I'll not risk damnation on these good people."_

_"Wait! No! You can't do this!" The brunette stood his boundaries in front of the supposedly guilty victim while holding out his arms. Norman was sobbing by this point, cowering in the shadows of the court room, seemingly unable to fight back._

_"You are to be taken to the place of execution where you will be hanged by the neck until you be dead..." Dipper felt the rush of freezing talons down his spine as the townsfolk cast dirty glares to the two boys while closing in around them._

_ "I didn't do anything wrong! Stop! Leave me alone or I'll make you sorry!" Norman's eyes began to flicker an unnatural shade of bright electric energy, flickering like a switch. "I'll make all of you sorry!"_

_The brunette barred Norman by standing over the scared boy and facing the jury with a long stream of profanities though he had no effect on the wispy world around him and his voice was obviously unheard._

_An unearthly scream ruptured the panic from the room and the nightmare began to collapse, shreds of the scene starting to rip apart like burnt paper. The court room began to slip into nothingness and Dipper had one last look at the spike-haired boy with sky colored eyes before everything went white_ –

He woke and the world slipped into shadows.

The teen screamed loudly, awakening from his horrible dream while causing his Twin Sister, Mabel Pines, to give a jarred yelp and lurch forward from her downy pink covers on the opposite side of the room. The sound of muffled wailing filled the attic as the Twin let out a shuddering screech into his pillow.

"Dipper…?" Her sleep fogged voice whispered through the still night air. The brunette went into silence, reliving the moment over and over in his brain and ignoring his sibling.

"Dipper!" A hand reached out and he squeaked, bumping into the wooden backboard of his bed. A pair of worried eyes shone through the darkness to reveal that Mabel had gotten up and moved the edge of his comforter.

"Are you okay? Was it that dream again?" Her voice was smooth and graceful, having the ability to calm the other sibling greatly with her reassurance. He felt attached to the real world again, no longer submerged in emotion.

Dipper maneuvered himself uncomfortably in his sheets, blinking rapidly and patting his mattress to see if it was existent. "No, it was…different this time."

"What happened?" Mabel tried to seem collected, but she leaned in, nervous about her brother's nightmare. Being twins, she always cared about her brother and had a strong connection with him, so when he was distressed she gradually became so as well.

The waves of fear were practically rolling off him anyway.

"I..." His voice caught, sniffling, lying back to feel chills running down his neck while looking up at the creaky, ancient rafters in the ceiling. "I don't want to talk about it…"

Now that was a lie – he obviously did want to discuss it with someone.

"Dipper, what happened." It wasn't a question, it was a command. The Pines Twins broke out into a glaring contest for a moment before the boy crumbled in on his sister, losing his control almost immediately.

"I saw this c-courtroom, and there was t-this kid. It…they sentenced him to die, Mabel, a-and I don't even know who he was! T-They just…no one stood up for him. I-I tried to do something but they couldn't s-see me…" The brunette's tone cracked multiple times in his fit. His sister dazed off into space and absently petted his hair, a look of unease spreading over her features.

"It wasn't real, bro. It wasn't real." She cooed, heart clenching when she saw he was crying.

"What do I do?"

Mabel paused at his words – if anything it was herself who would ask 'what to do'. Dipper was smart and clever and mature beyond his years but once he was so tormented by these nightmares he lost his grip. Never before had she witnessed her brother in such pain or distress – he was pretty good at concealing his emotions. She barely saw him genuinely cry.

"We've done everything Dipping Sauce, and apparently nothing works." She sighed as she bluntly said the truth, shaking her head unhappily and irritated. She distantly thought about how many methods they had used to try and rid of the awful dreams but to no avail, " This is all just stupid Gravity Falls weirdness. I have no other option than to leave it be. I mean, there must be a reason behind these things and eventually something will pop up."

Her sibling said nothing, closing his eyes and burying his face into his knees. His breathing had changed from normal breathes to raspy coughs that sounding like he was being choked, and each time it made girl shudder and cringe.

"I'm so sorry." Mabel gently kissed his brow, allowing him to rest against her side. "I wish I could help."

She slowly started to run her fingers through his hair once more, relaxed and peaceful, soothingly against his forehead where his birthmark was hidden. She lost consciousness soon after with her brother wrapped protectively around her, and in the light of fluorescent dawn she was able to make out the silvery tear trails still marked his pale cheeks.

The silence was apprehensive and Mabel tried in as many ways possible to cheer her gloomy brother from his despondency but it never seemed to work. At best she could get his to smile softly but nothing more. Dipper loomed around the Shack, dragging a disgustingly old broom behind as he dusted the crevices of the Gift Shop.

Each night the nightmares invaded his dreams and made him wake at outrageously early hours in alarm and anxiousness, usually screaming. And every day it seemed to get worse with resulted in Dipper not getting enough sleep – yawning constantly, his cocoa eyes rimmed with dark shadows of sleep-deprivation.

"I'm sick of this."

Her brother turned, eyebrows rising lightly. "Sick of what?"

"This!" She flailed her hands, nearly smacking her sibling and he flinched. "You being this! You not getting any sleep, and actually listening to Grunkle Stan and being all sophisticated and moping around all day!"

"Sophisticated –? "

"Yes!" She reached down to pick up her heavy pet pig, Waddles, and cradle him to her chest while stomping around the shop. "When was the last time you went out on a monster hunt with me? Two or three weeks ago? We can't continue to waste our summer!"

Dipper blinked, setting the broom down and moving to his sister's side. "I-"

"No, shush, don't speak. I'm thinking." She put her free hand on his face, making him shut up. There was two seconds of silence before she set her pet on the floor and seized her Twin. "I got it. Let's go kill Pacifica."

"Mabel!"

"What? I'm joking!" She flung herself over the counter and grabbed a small pair of silver keys, her smile growing wide. "Come on, get some fresh air, let's ride the golf cart!"

"Didn't the police department warn us that you have to have a special license –"

"Since when did we listen to the police?"

Dipper paused, pulling the blue bill of his hat down. "True. Hey, didn't Grunkle Stan say that another group of tourists are coming in later tonight, shouldn't we –"

"Stop being a push-over!"

"I-I am not a push-over!"

"Then come on! The Golf Cart awaits!" Mabel was nearly giggling with excitement as she grasped her Twin's hand and dragged him out to the porch and skillfully leaped over the steps before skipping to the vehicle. It was small, rusty and obviously not properly taken care of, but to the Pines Twins it was a dream to race through Gravity Falls in it.

Realizing his sister would not take 'no' for an answer, Dipper sauntered to the other side of the cart. The key was twisted in and the golf cart grumbled to life, shuddering slightly, the headlights flickering dimly. Dipper patted the hood with an almost proud look in his eyes as he took the driver's seat and for the first time in almost a week gave a real smile.

"The Mystery Twins are back!" The sweater-clad girl shrieked while they tore down the gravel-dirt path into the woods, the Shack becoming less and less visible until it completely vanished as they swerved into the dark of the forest, leaving dust in their wake.


	2. Chapter 2

_Notes: Dipper and Mabel are the best siblings ever, which is why I have many scenes were they are very protective of each other. Whoop, writing yeah! Like I said before, slow start, getting to Norman in the next chapter!_

* * *

"Look out!" Mabel's frightened voice cried out and Dipper veered to his left, nearly pulling off the steering wheel with so much force as he avoided the rocky cliff. There was a resounding snarl from a beast behind them but they didn't look back, eyes stretched wide as the gold-cart was pressed to maximum speed, streaking along the side of a gorge.

"We're gonna die! I am going to be killed and no one will know!" Dipper wailed as he caught sight of the creature behind him - a Chimera. This situation was all Mabel's fault, because she rushed over to it and thought it was 'adorable' and then proceeded to pet the beast's fur. This led to a chase, running to the golf-cart and bolting.

The creature roared, causing a flood of flames to burst from its mouth and the Twins felt the heat against their backs.

"Right! Right!" His sister shrieked, narrowly missing a large oak tree, the wheels of the vehicle bouncing along the ground, hissing. The sound of his heartbeat pounded louder than ever before as he twisted, his fingers turning white as he gripped the cart.

The sun was just settling down midway on the horizon, causing a faint glimmer to spread across Scuttlebutt Lake which was coming into view. Panicked, Dipper remembered how Chimeras disliked water due to the fact that they were fire-breathing creatures. His foot smashed down on the petal as hard as it could.

Right towards the Lake.

"What are you doing?" Mabel screamed ear-piercingly, "You're gonna drive into the lake! Stop, now –"

"Trust me Mabel!"

"How can I trust you when we are about to drive into a lake?!" She screeched over the sound of rushing wind and the snarl of the monster behind.

"Hold on!" He snapped to his trembling sister, whose pupils had dilated into a circle of her pale green irises. She buried her face into his side and he shivered at the feeling of her quick breaths and heart-rate against his shoulder. Dipper spared one glance at the creature before yanking the wheel backwards, clutching his sister and diving out of the still running cart.

There was a resounding, pained roar as the beast crashed into the vehicle and was thrown off the dock and into the lake, causing a huge wave of massive blue water to erupt into the air. Dipper was able to take half a breath before water consumed the Twins, automatically feeling Mabel tense and jolt as the ice water dragged over their bodies.

He could make out her muffled howling, his sister thrash in the lake beside him in fear. The silence of the water was unnerving, both siblings sinking into the dark of the waves. The boy gripped her hand, and with the strength he had left, shoved her upwards to the surface, leaving himself painfully tired.

A small splash and gasp vaguely alerted him that she had broken through, but his mind fogged and he felt his lungs begin to burn, choking, drowning. He was drowning – which was stupid because Dipper Pines was a great swimmer, but he had no energy, he had no idea what had just happened, he was in shock. Mabel's bobbing figure turned, and he felt a warm grasp come over him, dragging him through the bubbles and shadows.

He broke surface and let out a rattling gasp, coughing hard and shivering. Ice cold breezes shot them in the face, causing his body to shut down again. The evening sky peered down on the two siblings and the brunette was barely able to feel anything by this point – body numb and disgusting.

His eyes danced with colors, nearly blacking out.

"Dips."

He felt the wonderfully rough sand beneath him, crawling and settling right on the edge of the shore. He made out his sister's figure beside him, trying to haul his limp body away from the water but she was too weak to even budge him.

"Dips, wake up."

Dipper didn't move, giving one horrible shudder and another gasp.

"Please, wake up." Suddenly there were cold hands brushing back his hair, trembling as it held him and a withdrawn sob shredded the silence of the air. "Oh please, wake up right now. Oh my god, I killed you didn't I - ?"

_She is crying. She is sobbing, wake up Dipper, wake_ –

"Can you…be quiet…for one moment?"

"Oh thank g-"

"Shh." Dipper dazedly croaked, nuzzling into her lap, both Twins drenched and now freezing. A minute or two passed in stressed unease before he finally stirred. Lifting his hammering head the boy blinked up and saw the tip of the Mystery Shack Golf Cart still sinking below the surface, covered in something – oh wait, it is the Chimera's blood.

The Pines Twins gazed out at the water before retreating, gathering themselves after another minute and brushing themselves off as best as they could.

"Are you okay?" They both said in unison before pausing. Their eyes met and they burst into raspy laughter, linking arms as they stood.

The siblings stumbled across the shoreline and began to walk back to the Mystery Shack which was still a long way to go. But they just screwed the cart over so they could only walk. Dipper turned solemnly to his sister, "Mabel, I'm so sorry this happened. Are you really okay?"

"The real question is are you okay?" She tried to jokingly prod his shoulder but the atmosphere remained gloomy and depressing. The boy stuffed his left hand into his best pocket, shielding the bleeding wound he got from jumping out of the cart from the girl.

"Fine."

"Mhm?"

"I'm fine Mabel, I really am."

"Sure."

"Mabel!"

The girl swiveled on her heels and looked at her brother straight ford. The sight of her was quite pitiful - her beautiful chocolate hair was tangled and drenched, still dripping silvery water droplets, her eyes were dull and injured and scared, her pink sweater was sodden and seemed to weigh her down like a boulder, her eyebrows furrowed in an expression of dismay.

"If anyone should apologize for tonight, it's me Dipper." Her lip trembled – a sign of tears and the boy braced himself for the oncoming torrent of emotions, "I was the one who wanted to go out monster hunting. I was the one who woke that Chimney Cat-"

"Chimera."

"Whatever! I was the one who was sick of seeing you so upset, I was bored of waiting for you to get better and since I lost my patience and didn't think about your health or your nightmares or your feelings we nearly lost our lives! We lost the golf cart and Grunkle Stan is already going to kill us and then take money from our college funds to buy a new one, but it's my fault Dipping Sauce, and I'm sorry."

"Mabel," He reached out and hugged her sideways, awkwardly, "I hate it when you blame yourself. I wouldn't care if you purposely stabbed my back or shoved me into a busy street, I am still your brother and I will always care for you no matter what. I only want what is best for you, and please, I think we have dealt with worse here in Gravity Falls, right?"

Bland tears were streaming down her grimy face and she slammed into his arms, curling into his chest. Dipper let her tremble and sob, claw into his shoulder and snuggle into his vest, he let her do this because she was obviously traumatized.

The sounds of the forest and whispers of the animals of the forest called softly around the Twins.

"Come on, it's late. Let's head back." He sighed into her bangs and she slowly removed herself and nodded curtly before trailing along beside him. The faint glow of the Mystery Shack grew brighter and the Twins felt happiness once again when they reached the porch steps and staggered into their summer home.

The Gift Shop door closed with a chiming ding and their Great Uncle Stan glanced from the counter, his eyes growing huge behind his square glasses.

"What happened to you two?"

"Nothing." They groaned in harmony, ignoring the looks they got as they passed by the few customers in the shop. The stairs were almost impossible to clime but once they reached the top they collapsed into their shared bedroom – half dead.

Grunkle Stan yelled up that they would have important tourists the next day and to clean up the mess they made in the morning but the Twins were so worn that they could barely shout back their response.

Blackness encased their vision and both siblings were thrown into sleep. Hopefully they would be able to rest peacefully, but it was only a half an hour later before Dipper woke up sobbing – imagining he was downing and screamed out for that boy - Norman - like the night before.


	3. Chapter 3

_Notes: *flails around* Reviews please!_

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"Dibs on showering first!"

Mabel got to bathe first while Dipper sulked around the Shack for the morning still cold and even scruffier than before. She promptly locked the door and then jammed it with other objects to block the bathroom so he could not even attempt to brush his teeth.

The boy miserably had to clean the muddy trails he and his sister had left the night before whereas she scrubbed away the dirt under hot water, humming pop-band music delightedly. He glared at her almost for the rest of the day.

While Dipper busied himself with work, Mabel found herself excitedly greeting all the new arrivals of tourists and charmed them into buying merchandise. Grunkle Stan truly had an influence on the Twins.

The afternoon was just beginning when the Twin dragged her other outside, regaining her bubbly personality. She seemed to forget about what happened the night before, forgetting their screams of terror and the bumble of the golf-cart beneath them as they fled.

Actually, it wasn't really a shocker for the Pine's Twins to be chased by some horrifying creature – the first time they ever set foot in Gravity Falls they were pursued by a gnome monster, intent on marrying Mabel. The second day they went to Scuttlebutt Lake, tracked down a lake monster and then proceeded to be hunted by it. The third day Dipper was nearly impaled by a wax Sherlock Holmes as he bolted on the roof of the Mystery Shack.

Yeah, so it wasn't really surprising that she was over the trauma so fast. She was Mabel Pines – she was an unsolvable puzzle.

"Come on!"

"No."

"Please, Dipsy?"

"One, don't call me that. Two, no."

"You. Suck. Just a little walk into the woods?" The girl grabbed her sibling's arm, batting her long lashes and grinning with a perky look spreading over her face. Cringing as his sister dug her nails into his arm Dipper finally gave in, yelping as she seized him forward with so much force he tripped down the porch steps and fell into the grass.

"You're so slow! Come and catch me!" She shrilly bounced in to the ferns, her purple sweater disappearing entirely behind the wall of emerald forest.

"Mabel, wait, you'll get-"He froze as he tumbled into the verdant clearing, his sister suddenly gone like a ghost in the wind, "lost."

With a groan the brunette trailed off, making sure to be aware of his surroundings though he had mapped the woods out a summer ago and memorized it in a day. Brambles clawed at his feet and gnawed at his knees but he bit back his hisses of pain.

"Mabel? Mabel! Where are you-? This isn't a game!" He yelled, his echoing voice causing a massive flock of birds to flee from their trees in a panic, squawking at him. Uneasiness crept into his stomach because the one rule of Gravity Falls, aside from trusting no one, was to stick together. Mabel always was a rule-breaker though.

He always trusted his sister – he cared for her dearly, but she managed to pick at his every nerve. He could hear her faint laughing echo through the ravenously growing forest. Automatically, he began to quickly walk through the tall grasses, panicking at the thought of losing his sister.

"Mabel? Get back here!" He shouted, but the response was not what he expected. A ringing, monstrous roar replied the boy's call and he felt his blood freeze. "Mabel?"

There was a deafening high screech – obviously her – and the sound of rushing footsteps against the ferns and bushes. When she burst into view she nearly collided with her twin.

Mabel turned back, her mouth moving, yelling – as if talking to someone. The bushes crashed apart to reveal another figure, a boy with large, doe-like eyes, trembling in terror. If Dipper's heart could stop it would have right there, that very moment.

It was Norman Babcock, the one from his recent nightmares – the one sentenced to death for witchcraft, the one who pleaded for mercy. But how was he here?

Dipper had seen disturbing things before, he had faced monsters unlike any other, he had put himself in life-and-death situations to save the ones he loved, and he had sacrificed so much. But why did this scare him – fear rippling along his spine and his thoughts clouding with terror?

"Run!" The girl shrieked, snatching her sibling's hand in her free one while dragging the two boys behind her, storming away from the pursing beast. The words were gone in Dipper's throat as he stared at the new addition to the group, feeling unease and restlessness in the pit of his stomach.

The forest became a maze – twists and turns between the spidery black trees, their limbs reaching out like dying hands to claw at the sky one last time. The crack of twigs and undergrowth beneath the teenager's feet seemed horribly loud and they all could hear their heartbeats ringing like an alarm.

The trio ran, never stopping or looking back – the girl leading them to a silvery cave with a small entrance, similar to a mouth – gaping open. She pulled the boys in before they could squeak in protest and pressed her hands over their mouths to quiet them.

"Mabel!" Dipper hissed into the cuff of her sleeve, narrowing his eyes and focusing on lowering his heart-rate which was a drum thrumming, shaking him.

"Shh!"

A shadow passes over the entrance and the Pine's Twins cringe backwards a bit when it comes into view – the Chimera, somehow alive but not fully recovered, stumbling and baring its fangs around the clearing outside.

The beast's eyes are dazed slightly; its nose crushed forward which might prevent it from smelling the group. One paw is cut and the wound has already sewing itself back together – perhaps some magical healing powers the thing possesses. The goat head of the monster is nervously twitching while the lion snaps back at it.

It swishes its snake tail – once, twice, the serpent hissing and spitting, large and pointed fangs protruding from the side of its long mouth. The thing is horrible to say the least – and they should not have made an enemy of it.

"W-What is that thing?" Norman whispers and his voice is beautiful and melodic somehow even when he is terrified and manages to stretch his large eyes even wider. Is it bad that Dipper wants to comfort him now? Maybe reach out and take his hand in his own? His mind hesitates on the thought before shoving it away completely.

"A Chimera, the thing is a menace." The brunette half-way growls with fear and irritation.

"Yeah, we killed it yesterday! But now it's back, maybe it rose from the dead?" Mabel supplies, waving her hands up as if telling a spooky ghost story, just adding on to the new boy's confusion.

"This isn't real." The boy splutters and Dipper can't tell if he is referring to the beast or to Mabel's strangeness.

"You get used to it."

The Chimera whips around, roaring at the cave and ramming forward – hearing them. The trio screams, tumbling backwards into the cave even further. The Pine's girl shrieks and proceeds to run deeper into the cavern until her bright sweater is barely visible.

"Evasive maneuvers!" Mabel yells, diving and skittering around in the shadows of the darkness, panic making her voice rise higher than usual. Dipper immediately shuffles for his flashlight and flicks the bright beam into the creature's eyes – causing it to howl. Temporarily blinded the boy does the only thing he can – grab Norman and flee after his sister.

* * *

Lost and looking into the cave illuminated by the flashlight the teenagers slowly make their way forward, unease intertwining with the cold air. Dipper wants to say something – anything – but the words are caught in his throat.

For once the Pine's Twins really get a look at the boy – about the age of Mabel or Dipper with large dark, spiked up hair and innocent blue eyes that reflected the dazzling light. He carried himself like a baby giraffe, stumbling and straggling like a lost shadow. Norman blinked owlishly at the two siblings once he saw their gazes caught on him.

"I-"

"Normy, let me introduce you to my twin!" The girl practically shrieked before burying her mouth in the arm of her shiny purple dog sweater. Mabel jumped over to him and wrapped an arm around her brother while grinning back at the spike-haired boy. "This is Dipper! Anyway, Dipper, Norman, Norman, Dipper! He's my new friend!"

"F-Friend?" The teen wasn't looking upset or uneasy; he looked shocked that he had gained a new friend in such a short amount of time.

"Yeah. Friend, buddy, pal, chum….other word for friend?"

"Pal?" Dipper supplied softly, gaze still locked on the other boy.

"No already said pal…how bout mate? So where are you from Norman?"

"…Massachusetts?"

Mabel started, bewildered, "Isn't that in Oregon? Or am I thinking Kansas?"

"Um…Massachusetts-"

"Oh wait never-mind-"

"Mabel!" Dipper interrupted, glaring at his twin viciously while playing with the light back and forth in his hands. "You're scaring him. What I'm wondering is how did you even meet him?"

Apparently the concern did not show on his face because his sister responded immediately.

"She ran into me." Norman says quietly and Mabel continues to beam at the boy.

"Yeah, sorry again about that. I was playing hide-and-seek with-"

"We weren't even playing hid-and-seek; you just took off into the forest!" The brunette snorts, fidgeting as his journal weighed in his vest uncomfortably. "But what about the Chimera? How did you end up with that on your tail?"

"I guess the Chimera got out of the Lake or something, but it was in a small cave and it saw me – and well, I guess it recognized me or just didn't like two humans being near it so-"

"It attacked you." Dipper groans, running a hand through his bangs.

"It attacked us!" Mabel smiles at her sibling, resuming her normal attitude. Like said before - she had a tendency for willing the bad things away right after they occurred.

"You are a danger-magnet."

"Does this kind of thing happen often?" Norman finally spoke without being prompted to.

"Yes." The Pines spoke in unison, meeting each other's eyes and then burst out giggling. The spike-haired teen softened a little at the sibling's bickering, the ghost of a smile on his lips.

"So anyway – Norman, sorry about this whole escapade, we didn't mean to drag you into this. We'll find a way out as soon as possible, and then you can-"Dipper paused, "Go wherever…you're new here to town so is it for the summer?"

"How did you-?"

"We're here for the summer too!" Mabel squawked, wrapping the unsuspecting boy in a hug. He gives a short huff as she nearly strangles him.

"Mabel, put him down." Instantly she does, leaving the teenager out of breath. "Okay, once we get out we can help you back to where you're staying alright?"

Dipper has no idea what he said but Norman recollects himself and really does smile this time. "Thanks."

"N-No problem." He replies and his sister wraps an arm around him, giving a quick wink. She can already sense it – oh no. The Pine's boy shoves her off and tries to ignore how sweaty his hands are and how hot his face feels.

"You're such a dweeb! Whomp!" The brunette girl grinned widely, smacking the back of her brother's head flippantly.


End file.
